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Rahil Azmi as Hatim

emember those fascinating stories you heard as a child, sitting on your grandmother’s lap?. The tales were usually about a knight in shining armour, slaying dragons either for sport or to rescue a damsel in distress. Along with that, there were towering castles and hordes of kings, queens, evil witches, wizards and mythical creatures to fuel the imagination further. The same has been portrayed time and again on televison where shows have flourished ranging from mythological (like Ramayana and Mahabharata) to folklore like Vikram Aur Vetaal and Alif Laila. But somehow through the years, such shows in India have been critisised for shoddy production values, tacky costumes and unimpressive special effects which dull in comprison to foreign shows like Beastmaster and Xena The Warrior Princess. However, things have improved over the years, and better if not execptional visuals have been executed.

Tales of good versus evil have always been welcomed and scrutinised with both interest and fascination and this is what has inspired Sagar Arts and Star Plus to embark upon a new venture- Hatim. Hatim Tai is one of the more popular figures from Arabian legends and has earlier been made into a film as well. But the cinematic effort was almost embarrasing owing to the tacky execution and neither the Sagars nor Star Plus welcome any comparison. Says Deepak Sehgal, Senior VP, Content and Communication of Star Plus,” We have aimed at a more slicker production, paying a lot of attention to detail and the quality of the computer graphics.”

Hatim is a tale of the prince of Yemen by the same name, who is valiant, fearless and out to oust all evil from the world. A true superhero who also finds his antithesis in the evil Dajjal who sets seven riddles for the young prince to solve. The story unfolds as the prince ventures out into the mission, his path strewn with obstacles - human, mythical and magical. The story is sprinkled with amazing touches like flying horses and mountains, headless creatures, genies and fairies. Deepak Sehgal emphasises, “ We have gone all out on the fantasy element. There is no attempt to create reality or anything even remotely connnected with it. Everything is magical in the world of Hatim.” The struggle between black and white, good and evil, the noble and the notorious has alway been everyone’s favourite genre whether it is the longdrawn yet cultish Star Wars series or the bescpectacled reluctant hero Harry Potter. Says Sehgal, ”In the opening episode you will notice that we have devoted almost 60per cent of the footage to the birth of the evil. The idea is to reflect traditional ideas without appearing regressive.”

Nirmal Pandey as Dajjal

The mega-serial is being directed by the latest generation of the Sagar clan, Amrut and Shakti Sagar. The director duo came up with the concept of Hatim and his adventures so as to continue the family traditon of churning our mythologicals and fantasies. But the influence of contemporary techniques is very evident. For instance, the palace of the young prince is modelled after a Church in Morrocco rather than one of the local colourful Mahals. Says Amrut, “The risk is always there when starting a project like this as to whether the audience will accept it or not. But we have to give our hundred percent and hope it will work. The attempt will be to make the show as relevant to present day as possible, to see what are the images the audience will identify with.” The music of the show too seems straight out of something like Braveheart or Lord of the Rings. Deepak Sehgal mentions that the feel has been deliberately kept contemporary so that young and old alike can relate to it. “Till now, Indian fantasy shows have always had a middle eastern touch. This time the appeal will be universal. We don’t want it to look like the average mooch mukut mythologicals,” he quips with a grin. The channel and the production house devised the show hand in hand. They don’t want to slot it only as a children’s show but as an allround family entertainer. And in a show wih ‘epic’ proportions such as this, sky is truly the limit. Nothing is out of bounds as it is set in the unreal world.

The high point of Hatim is but naturally, the special effects. Jyoti Saagar who is in charge of the department says, “The sfx takes more time than the actual shooting. For example to make a giant bird fly it takes hours of rendering. But we don’t want to go half way. We want to ensure that the end product looks good.” The Sagars have set up thier set of CG machines and hence can keep a close watch on the quality. It must be mentioned here that the special effects do look far far better than the usual Indian standard but still a long way off from the Hollywood standards. The main reason for this is budgetary constraints. Althought the kind of money that has been put into a show like this does take on extravagant proportions it still may not be enough to match international benchmarks. The shooting for Hatim takes place mainly in Baroda where three massive sets for the three palaces have been erected.

Pooja Rawwal as Husn Bano

The actors involved are but naturally charged up about the show. Rahil Azim who plays the brave-heart warrior prince says exultantly, “This is almost like a relaunch for me. I think every man secretly nurtures the fantasy of being projected as a superhero and mine is coming true now.” Rahil admits that intially he wasn’t sure but when he heard the story and saw the sketches he was convinced. Rahil has to wear some costumes that are really heavy, nothing to say of brandishing a sword and riding horse simultaneously. “It is a little diffcult to manage but I am enjoying it.” he says. Hatim is not potrayed as a very serious character, more as playful, lighthearted and a ‘cool dude’ in Rahil’s own words. “I am making very sure that I don’t overplay the guy,” he says. For Pooja Rawal who plays Husan Bano this show will be a different experience from the saas-bahu serials she has been doing so far. Everything from the costumes to the settings is unusual. Nrimal Pandey who plays Dajjal has slipped into the skin of the menacing power-hungry dark lord with ease.

The series will mainly revolve around Hatim and his quest for the answers to the seven riddles posed by the evil Dajjal. On being asked wheher they will be able to sustain the story in the longer run, the directors explain, “We have taken the basic premise of the story from the legend of Hatim Tai and the story of the seven riddles itself will have innumerable subplots and stories. New characters and situations will be constantly introduced without actually deviating from the main course of the story”. We want to take the idea of an adventure to a new level,” they add jubiliantly.

Hatim defintely seems to be one of the many moves of the channel to reinvent itself. It is evident that a lot of work and research has gone into the pre-production and the making. But the obvious influences are apparent. For instance, the dimunitive bodyguard of Husan Bano who hits himself whenever he utters something rude reminds us all too well of Dobby of Harry Potter fame. Also the giant dragon-like birds and the sepulchral tower with the light circling it seems too familiar to be original ideas. Also the feel of the show is not too Indian with very European medevial costumes and accesories (the sceptre used by the evil minister for instance). Despite of all this, Hatim which premieres on December 26, on STAR Plus is surely a sign, that both the channel drivers and the makers are daring to change course from the usual weepie sagas. May the force be with them!